A 67-year-old man with a recent onset of diffuse muscular pain and stiffness and an erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 55 is referred to you by his family practitioner. He has a history of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, but no history of headaches or swollen joints. He has chronic back pain, has had two surgeries and was…
(Reuters)—Recro Pharma’s IV meloxicam, a non-opioid injection, did not get approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because the agency said the drug’s pain-relieving effect did not meet its expectations. The company said it plans to meet with the FDA to find solutions. Unlike the drug’s oral version, which has been on the market…
In July 2017, Todd A. Graham, MD, a practicing orthopedic surgeon in South Bend, Ind., was fatally shot after getting into a heated dispute with a patient and her husband over a requested opioid prescription.1 The murder of Dr. Graham is a tragic example of the potential dangers of physician-patient disagreements. Rheumatology patients often endure…
A recent study compared the efficacy of opioids with nonopioid pain treatments in patients with chronic back pain and hip or knee osteoarthritis. After 12 months, researchers found that treatment with opioids was not superior to treatment with nonopioid medication, with only minor differences in patients’ functional responses to the medications…
(Reuters Health)—Acetaminophen, ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are better than opioids at easing the intensity of chronic pain in the back, knees or hips, a U.S. experiment suggests. And opioids are no better than these other drugs at reducing how much pain interferes with daily activities, such as walking, working, sleeping or enjoying…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Justice Department will argue the federal government deserves reimbursement for costs it has borne stemming from the opioid crisis in a “statement of interest” it plans to file in a lawsuit against drug manufacturers and distributors, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Tuesday. “I am announcing today that the department will…
SAN DIEGO—During a session at the ACR/ARHP 2017 Annual Meeting Nov. 3–8, three representatives from the federal government described several of the government’s varied national strategies and agencies that are tackling pain. All of these strategies are affected by the current national epidemic of opioid overdoses and the need for safer analgesic prescribing. But the…
(Reuters)—Five opioid manufacturers, including OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP, have paid more than $10 million to advocacy groups and doctors tied to them, many of whom amplified industry messages supporting the use of the painkillers, a U.S. Senate report said on Monday.1 The report, released by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), says groups who received the…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said on Tuesday it had changed a regulation to allow more healthcare professionals to prescribe a medication used to treat opioid addiction, opening up access in rural America where there are few doctors.1 Prior to 2000, only physicians could treat those with opioid addiction and had to register with…
(Reuters)—Delaware on Friday became the latest state to file a lawsuit accusing corporations of helping fuel the national opioid epidemic, suing a wide range of companies involved in making, distributing and selling prescription painkillers.1 The lawsuit, filed by Delaware Attorney General Matt Denn in a state court, targeted drugmakers Purdue Pharma LP and Endo International…